1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to lens polishing machines. It also concerns grinding lenses and mirrors. In particularity, it concerns toroidal lens polishers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Toroidal mirrors are mirrors that have two different radii of curvature which are perpendicular to one another. These radii can be either both concave, both convex or one of each. Satisfactory long focal length toroidal mirrors have not been commercially made previously. Toroidal mirrors have been found to be more efficient in the amount of energy extracted from laser cavities than the spherical mirrors that have been used in the past. Toroidal mirrors also have the ability to form sharp images for large angles of incidence. Spherical mirrors develop excessive astigmatism under similar conditions.
In the past, toroidal and cylindrical optics were fabricated by hand or on special machines. Polishing by hand is a very slow method and the number of man hours involved can easily make the cost prohibitive. Previous toroidal machines could only be used for that one purpose. Some of these previous machines also have a significant design defect in that the movement arm has a relatively short pivot length which produces a noticable arc in its stroke.
The quality of previously produced toroidal optics has been very poor. Polishing by hand does not permit uniform repetition of motion in the polishing stroke. The previous toroidal machines produced did not have two true linear axes perpendicular to one another. Lastly, the wobble between the lens and the polishing surface, usually called the lap, produces another source of distortion.
Previously no adapter units for converting regular polishing machines into toroidal ones were known.